Improvement in machines for making fire-clay gas



UNrTED STATES vPATENT EEIOE.

JONAS S. HEAErr AND SAMUEL ENGLISH, OE TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS ToJONAS S. HEAETT AND JAMES OSTEANDER, OE SAME PLACE, AND JOSEPH EiDGwAY,OE SOUTH AMBOY, NEW JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING EIRECLAY GAS:E II. `T )EITSISpecification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,623, dated Octob'er29, 186.1;

T0 all wtmn it 711/602/ concern,.-

Beit known that we, JONAS S. HEARTT and y SAMUEL ENGLISH, each of thecity of Troy, in

the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have jointly invented acertain new and useful Improved Machine for Making Fire-ClayGas-Retorts, which invention we have assigned to JAMES OSTRANDEE, of thesaid city ot Troy, JONAS S. HEAR-TT aforesaid, and JOSEPH RIDGWAY, ofSouth Amboy, in the county of Middlesex and State of New Jersey; and wedo hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description ofour said invention, reference being had to the annexed two sheets ofdrawings, in which the same letters of reference indicate like parts inall the figures, and the arrows therein point out the directions inwhich the parts are moved in use.

In the annexed drawings, Figures l and 2, Sheet I, are central verticalsections at right angles to each otherof one of ourimprovedretortmachines, and Fig. 3 is a partial section of the same, showing aretort in the process of formation. Fig. 4, Sheet ll, is a view of thennder side of the parts immediately above the line .e z in Fig. l, andFig. 5 is a plan of the parts just below the line y y in Fig. l. Fig. 6is an isometrical drawing of a retort made by the use of the machineshown by the aforesaid igures and Fig. 7 is an isometrical draw- -Iingof a case, within which the retort is nished by the machine.

Figs. 8 and 9 are central vertical sections at right angles to eachother of a part of a retort-machine having some of the essentialfeatures of that shown byFigs. l and 2.

In our improved machine (shown by Figs. l, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7 of theannexed drawings,) A is the fixed hollow outer die, and B the fixedcore, between which two parts the plastic material X is forced informing the retort, by means of a feed-screw C, turning in a cylinder D,the end portion of the space between the said core B and die A, Fig. 4,being of the same transverse form and size as a transverse section ofthe body w of the retort. The core B in Fig. 2 does not extend as far asthe hollow die A and has an end plate e, and the end 'v ofthe retort isformed by forcing the clay or plastic material into, so as to iill thespace between the end plate e and a movable plate F temporarily held atthe end of the die A, substantially as shown by Fig. 2. The end plate eis separable from the core B, and is secured thereto during theformation of the end /U of the retort by ineans of the screwrod g, Fig.1, or its equivalent, extended through the machine to its outside, sothat a person attending the machine can thereby release the plate e fromthe core.

Between the core B and the greater part of its end plate e is a Space 71which by means of a passage i, Fig. l, has communication with the openair or a sufficient Supply of air or other suitable fluid, sov thatafter having formed the end fu of the retort inthe manner abovedescribed and released the plate @from the core B and also liberated thesupport F,

then upon turning the screw C, so as to force the plastic materialthrough the Space between the die A and core B, the end u of the retort,with the end plate e, will freely leave the core, and so that theatmospheric or fluid pressure on the inner and outer surfaces of theretort during its formation will continually be so nearly equal that theretort will not collapse or be crushed inward by the pressure of theatmosphere, while the body of the retort increases in length,and`oonsequently tends to produce a vacuum within itself.

The Supporting-platform F is made to recede from the die A as fast asthe retort is produced by means of any suitable devices worked either byhand or automatically, as indicated by the annexed drawings. If the dieA extended beyond the end of the core B, as shown in Fig. 2, during theformation of the body part 4w of the retort, the plastic material insuch a case would be liable to be forced or directed inward by theprojecting part of the die A, so as to thereby make the body of theretortdefective. To obviate that difficulty and also facilitate theformation of the flange j on the retort in thc manner hereinafterdescribed without requiring either the whole core B or the end portionof the'd-ie A to be movable, we'make the core with a shell k, Figs. 1,2, and 3, fitted and arranged so that the shell 7o can be slidlongitudinally on the body Z of the core by means of the screw-rod holdthe shell k with its end within the end of the outer die A, as shown inFig. 2, to permit the formation of the end i; of the retort in themanner above described, and can also release the shell 7.o, so that itwill ext-end any required uniform limited distance beyond the die A, asshown in Figs. 3 and l, during the formation of the body of the retort.W'hen the forming-retort becomes extended from the end of the die A, asshown in Fig. 3, a distance equal to the length of the completed retort,the revolving feed-screw C is stopped and the receding support F madestationary. Then to make the flange j on the retort, a divisible mold M,Fig. 7, open at both ends, and of substantially the same internal formand size as the outside of the finished retort, is placed around thepartly-formed retort, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, the core Bor its shell k being extended Within the partly-formed retort andopposite to the recess n in the mold M. Then the condensing` air-pump P,Fig. l, having communication with the interior of the retort by asuitable air-passage t', is worked so as to increase the fluid-pressureinside of the retort above the atmospheric pressure, and at the sametime the screw C is turned so as to force theiplastic material into andsolidly ll the recess n in the mold, and thus forni the flange j on theretort, as shown in Fig. 1. Then the mold and retort are togetherslightly withdrawn from the die A and the screw C stoppedvhereupon theretort is severed from the material within the die A and removed in andwith the mold,

ythe shell lo being previously retracted within the die A. or the moldand retort drawn off together from the core to allow such removal. Bythus having the core B extend opposite to the recess n in the mold whileforming the flange j on the retort., as above described, the plasticmaterial is prevented from being squeezed into the retort anywhereopposite to the flange, and the increased fluid-pressure made at thesame time against the innersurface of the retort straightens and pressesthe body of the retort hard against the inner surface of the mold M, andthereby prevents the retort from being crimped down or bulged inwardwhere not supported by the core B or its shell lo.

instead of the condensing air-pump P, any other suitable apparatus ormeans having proper communication with the interior of the .retort maybe used for producing and maintaining a nid-pressure superior to that ofthe atmosphere on the inner surface of the retort during the iormationof its iiange j in the manner hereinbelore set forth, and the mold M,instead of being divisible, may be so made in one piece and set in themachine at the end of the die A, before beginning to form the retort,that the retort will as it is produced enter endwise into the mold, and,

as indicated by the annexed drawings, any suitable devices may be usedto sustain, elevate, and lower the supporting-table F and the mold M informing the retort; and instead of introducing the air or other fluidinto the hollow core B and interior of the retort through the hollowspindle s of the feedscrew C, as shown at t' in Fig. l, or by a passagethrough the core-support O,as indicated by dotted lines at q in the sameligure, the air or its equivalent fluid may be conducted into the hollowcore and retort by any other suitablyarranged passage, as indicated inFigs. 8 and 9, where the air is admitted through a hollow screwbolt r,extended through the table F, end plate e, and end o of the retortitself, and by the use of which screw-bolt the end plate e is in thatcase secured to and released from the core in forming the end of theretort in the manner hereinbefore described; but we generally prefer thearrangement of air-passage t' and endplate fastening g, (shown in Fig.l,) in which cafse the machine does not leave the retort with a holethrough its end; and it is obvious that a piston in a cylinder, or othersuitable means, may be employed instead of the screw .C and cylinder Dto force the plastic material through the space between the dieA andcore B in our improved machine.

Ve are aware that it is not new to combine or arrange together a hollowdie A, core B, end plate F, cylinder D, and pressing-piston orfeed-screw C for use in molding a fire-clay gas-retort with a closedend,but Without the iiange j around its mouth, examples being shown onpages 526 and 527, Vol. 2, Apple* tons Dictionary of Machines, tbc., NewYork, 1852, and we do not claim that combination, and we do not broadlyclaim the admission of air to the interior of a hollow article made witha closed end during its passage from the molding-maehine; but We dobelieve that it is new in machines for molding retorts to make the wholeend c of the hollow core having communication with the open air freelyand entirely removable from the core with and by the action of the end vof the retort as the retort begins to pass from the machine, the saidend plate e being attached to and released from the core substantiallyas herein represented; and we are aware that it has been heretoforeproposed to make the whole core in a machine for molding clay retortsfast to the pressing-piston thereof, so as to move with the piston; butthat construction we neither claim nor use, and we do not broadly claimthe application of a Huid-pressure greater than that of the atmosphereto the inner surface of hollow plastic articles during their formationwithin molds.

lVhat we claim as new and of our invention in the above-describedmachine for making gas-retorts from plastic materials, and desire tohave secured by Letters Patent to the aforesaid JAMES OSTRANDER, J oNAsS HEARTT and JOSEPH RIDGWAY, as the assignees of all our right, title,and interest therein, 1s-

l. The removable plate e, when secured to and released from the end ofthe hollow core B, having communication with a Isupply of atmosphericair or other fiuid, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The sliding core-shell la, when applied so that the core can bethereby made to terminate either Within or beyond the end of the outsidedie A, as herein described.

3. The combination of the condensing airpump l) or any equivalenttherefor with the outer die A, mold M, end support F, core B, extendedopposite to the recess nin the mold, and a device for forcing theplastic material between the said oore and die into the mold,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

JONAS S. HEARTT. SAMUEL ENGLISH.

Witnesses:

DANIEL HUDSON, I AUSTIN F. PARK.

